What is collaborative divorce?

Any New Jersey resident who has watched someone go through a divorce knows the pain and cost that can be involved. You may even know someone who has chosen to avoid a divorce simply to avoid dealing with all of it. Emotions can run high and divorce legal issues can span a lot of topics. Traditional divorces are handled in a naturally combative way, pitting spouses and their attorneys against each other. Each side tries to win and outdo the other.

For roughly a decade, a more collaborative approach to divorce has been practiced in New Jersey and it was signed into law as an official approach to the end of a marriage just last year. Known as collaborative divorce, it joins litigation, mediation and arbitration as another way that couples can seek resolution when they feel they can no longer remain married. The Daily Record notes that collaborative divorces are especially beneficial to families with young children as their focus is to create a cooperative atmosphere. This in turn facilitates better co-parenting after a divorce is over.

Collaborative divorce can help you and your spouse reach agreements on anything a typical litigated divorce can do. This includes spousal support, child support, parenting time and child custody. While each of you retains independent attorneys, the rest of the team operates independently and not with only one spouse’s interests in mind. The time and cost involved in a collaborative divorce can be much less than with a litigated divorce.

The experienced team at Levine and Levine know how to help New Jersey residents take advantage of a collaborative approach to divorce.

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